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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041788">attention wins your affections and oh, how i love it so</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/natigail/pseuds/natigail'>natigail</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Phan Reality One Shots [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2020!Phan, Banter, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, M/M, Reality, Tooth-Rotting Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:08:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041788</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/natigail/pseuds/natigail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan and Phil dog-sit a friend's dog and Dan realises just how much Phil acts like a dog with how he expresses affection and Dan falls a little bit more in love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dan Howell/Phil Lester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Phan Reality One Shots [14]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/788379</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>attention wins your affections and oh, how i love it so</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm2S7lvgsBI&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=708">The dog in this fic</a>. I hope you enjoy this fluff fest.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dan hadn’t really noticed it before but the realisation hit him square in the chest on a normal Saturday afternoon.</p><p>Well, it wasn’t entirely normal. They had spent the whole day and day before dog-sitting their friend’s dog Bowie, which was really what had started this whole thing in the first place. It wasn’t the first time they had met the excitable golden Labrador. They had borrowed him a couple of years ago, to feature in <em>Giving The People What They Want</em> and it had been a huge success.</p><p>Even if most people had wanted them to get an actual dog rather than just borrow one.</p><p>Phil had been smiling that whole day, despite feeling slightly sniffly afterwards. It really was not fair that an animal lover like him had to deal with allergies, or rather potential allergies. He had never been properly tested. Dan had suggested it once, when they talked about maybe adding another pet to their household in the future. Phil had outright refused because he didn’t want to be allergic to the furry four-legged friends and he couldn’t be until he got it tested.</p><p>Dan hadn’t argued after that.</p><p>When their friend texted them to ask if they could look after Bowie from Friday to Saturday, Phil had immediately said yes. He had asked Dan if it was okay, after the fact, clearly going for the mentality that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.</p><p>As if Dan would ever have denied him anything.</p><p>Phil knew that too.</p><p>Bowie was the perfect house guest. He had mellowed out a little in the past two years but he was still very excitable and happy. He left a trail of fluffy light hairs everywhere but it was a small price to pay. Dan made a mental note to vacuum thoroughly after they said goodbye to Bowie. They didn’t need to irritate Phil’s senses more than necessary, even if he seemed to have little care for it.</p><p>Since Phil had volunteered their help, he took charge and looked after Bowie the most. He took him for a walk, played with him until he was literally out of breath and crumbling on the floor, and he snuggled up with him on the sofa in the evening when they were watching something on the TV.</p><p>It had been a quiet day workwise for Dan, and he was mostly just keeping on top of emails. Phil had decided he could take the day off to look after Bowie. He even convinced Dan to come along to a nearby dog park the following Saturday morning, just a few hours before the owner would come and pick Bowie up.</p><p>Their friend had explicitly said that they didn’t need to do anything extreme to look after Bowie, just making sure he got food and a couple of walks and that would be just fine. He insisted that Bowie was easy to look after.</p><p>And he had been but Phil didn’t listen to the simple instructions. He went above and beyond and spent pretty much the whole day glued to the dog’s side.</p><p>It was in the dog park, after they had had Bowie in their presence for a full 24 hours that Dan really noticed how the dog looked at Phil.</p><p>Sure, Bowie ran off to play with the other dogs, but every now and again, he’d run over to Phil, sit down in front of him, mouth hanging open in what almost looked like a smile. Phil would praise him, pat on the head or a treat and the dog would run off for a few minutes again before coming back for another acknowledgement.</p><p>It happened again and again.</p><p>On the walk home, Dan noticed how Bowie kept walking by Phil’s foot, in sync with his steps and he kept looking up at Phil.</p><p>He looked at him like he was the literal sun. Dan could relate.</p><p>Bowie was a well-behaved dog but he also had a lot of energy. Neither Dan nor Phil was used to spending as much energy as they had in the 24 hours.</p><p>Just an hour before they were due to part with Bowie, they were sat in the lounge, just having quiet internet time. Bowie had been sleeping on the floor next to Phil’s feet, tired from the playtime in the park, but before long he was up and about again.</p><p>He trotted off for a moment, only to return with one of his toys from the hallway. He put his head in Phil’s lap, on top of his keyboard, and Phil shrieked as he pushed it aside away from Bowie.</p><p>“Bowie!” Phil said, holding his laptop in the air.</p><p>Bowie just looked at him, eyes bright and excited. He dropped the toy in his mouth, but only to let out an excited bark.</p><p>“I’m busy right now,” Phil whined, but Dan could hear in his voice that he was already giving in. He couldn’t resist puppy dog eyes, not one bit.</p><p>But he wasn’t fast enough for Bowie who leaned in to playfully nip at Phil’s sleeve, tugging gently. Just demanding love and affection.</p><p>Dan’s heart was melting just looking at the two of them and he once more thought how vital it was for their next home, hopefully the forever home, to be pet friendly.</p><p>“Okay, fine,” Phil said, smile in his voice, as he pushed the laptop aside and got up to play with Bowie once more.</p><p>He had done pretty much nothing else in the last day that they had been dog-sitting. After another ten minutes, Phil was tired again, if his breathy laughs and huffs of air was any indication.</p><p>It made Dan chuckle.</p><p>“What are you laughing at?” Phil asked, eyes momentarily leaving the dog in front of him.</p><p>“Nothing,” Dan muttered, but he continued to look.</p><p>“Break, yeah? Let’s take a break,” Phil said, reaching out to pet Bowie.</p><p>To the dog’s credit, he dropped the toy and Phil went back to the sofa. Not a minute later, Bowie was standing next to Phil again but this time his energy was different. Phil looked at him and asked what he wanted.</p><p>Carefully, almost like he wasn’t sure that he was allowed, he climbed onto the sofa next to Phil and curled up at his side. His head ended in Phil’s lap, nudging his laptop once more but Phil removed it just as quickly as last time and set it aside again.</p><p>Internet time postponed for dog time. It seemed like a fair trade.</p><p>Phil’s hands found the golden fur, and Bowie had never looked so content.</p><p>“He’s really taken to you,” Dan commented. “He’s all over you, all the time.”</p><p>“Jealous?” Phil asked, in a teasing tone, shooting him a smile while he continued to pet the dog.</p><p>“No, just saying. He’s practically been your shadow this whole time.”</p><p>Phil hummed in thought. “I guess, we’ve really bonded. I’ll miss him when he leaves.”</p><p>“We could try to see if we can look after him more often or meet up out and about,” Dan suggested because he hated that Phil sounded sad, even if it wasn’t much or the matter was trivial.</p><p>“You volunteering to go outside?” Phil asked and leaned in over the dog to whisper, “we’ve converted him, Bowie.”</p><p>“Hardly,” Dan said with a snort but it was a fond one. “Just saying, you know.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Phil said, and there was a softness in his tone. “Dogs are easy, you know?”</p><p>“Easy?” Dan asked, not knowing where Phil was headed with this, but as always he was willing to listen.</p><p>“Yeah, it’s so easy to win their affections. There is a reason they’re called man’s best friend. It’s not only because they are pack animals and will accept other people into their packs. They just like people who like them. It’s as simple as that.”</p><p>“Aren’t most animals like that?”</p><p>“Maybe? I don’t know. But it’s just so visible with dogs. I play with Bowie, I feed him, I pay attention to him, and in return he wants to be around me all the time. He wants to shower me with affection because he gets the same from me. Or even if I only do a small thing, he’s still overjoyed and happy. It’s so pure.”</p><p>Dan had noticed it but he hadn’t found a way to voice it. It had been clear over the past day and a half. Bowie had been excited when he had arrived at their flat but still a little unsure. With every moment he had spent bonding with Phil, it was like he had gotten more comfortable.</p><p>Even looking at the two of them now, pretty much cuddled up together, Dan could see how much the dog adored Phil. It had taken him no time for him to win Bowie over.</p><p>It hit Dan like a tonne of bricks then and he was surprised that he hadn’t come to the realisation before. He usually looked at the past with rose-tinted glasses but right now, it felt like memories assaulted his brain in high-definition and crystal-clear resolution.</p><p>Phil excitedly running into Dan’s arms, flailing and unable to stand still for a moment, whenever they met on Manchester Piccadilly.</p><p>Phil leaning all the way into Dan’s space all the time, demanding touch and affection and being entirely content to just feel Dan’s grounding touch, no matter how small.</p><p>Phil practically dragging Dan out for walks when they had been inside for too long and he insisted that they needed fresh air and exercise.</p><p>Phil biting onto Dan’s shoulder in random moments, sometimes just to get his attention and other times just because he felt like it.</p><p>Phil getting so excited for Dan arriving with take-away that he almost spun in circles, clapping his hands before being allowed to dig into the food.</p><p>Phil blabbing about the most mundane things, words not being able to come out fast enough, when him and Dan had been separated by more than a couple hours.</p><p>Phil curling into Dan when they were cuddling, seeking Dan’s comfort and warmth and so often falling asleep in it.</p><p>Phil following Dan around when he was bored and he didn’t really know what he wanted to do but he just knew he wanted to do it with Dan.</p><p>Phil was just like Bowie. In so many ways, he acted just like a dog. All those moments, Dan had thought Phil was cute but he hadn’t fully registered just how big a declaration of love and affection he was proclaiming.</p><p>Phil wasn’t a dog obviously and they had plenty of other ways to tell each other that they were loved and appreciated but Dan had never noticed this particular brand of affection. It had just felt safe and comfortable.</p><p>“Dan?” Phil called, and Dan wasn’t sure how long he had been trying to get his attention.</p><p>Thankfully, Phil was used to him disappearing into his head at odd times. It always worried him a little, Dan knew, because sometimes those thoughts spirals could turn really dark.</p><p>“Okay?” Phil asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Dan confirmed, still reeling a little from the onslaught of memories. “I’m good.”</p><p>Phil didn’t fully look like he believed him, but he turned his attention back to Bowie, who was now snoring softly in his lap.</p><p>He stayed like that until the doorbell rung and he jumped up and excitedly ran to the door. It was time to say goodbye.</p><p>The hallway goodbye with their friend got prolonged, because Phil couldn’t stop talking about all the fun things that he had gotten up to with Bowie while they had taken care of him. It was adorable to see Phil rant so much, and Dan just watched with a quiet smile on his face.</p><p>“Oh, you really went above and beyond. Thank you,” their friends said. “You didn’t need to, but I’m sure Bowie appreciated it. Didn’t you, boy?”</p><p>Bowie let out a loud bark, looking from his owner to Phil, tongue flopping out.</p><p>“He was practically glued to Phil the whole time,” Dan said. “His own little shadow.”</p><p>“He does that when he really likes you. Seriously, thank you so much for taking such good care of him.”</p><p>As much as Phil looked ready to just offer their friend and Bowie to move in, he eventually said goodbye to them.</p><p>The moment he was gone, the two of them found themselves on the sofa again. They would have to think about dinner soon but not yet. It could wait for a moment. Phil threw himself onto the sofa, where Dan had just sat down.</p><p>His head ended up in Dan’s lap even before Dan had managed to reach for his laptop. Phil closed his eyes and snuggled into Dan’s thighs. Dan wondered if Phil was aware how much he resembled the dog that they had just bid farewell.</p><p>Naturally, like he had done it a million times, because he had, Dan’s fingers found Phil’s hair, gently trailing through the quiff. It had been a quiff at some point at least but now, it was just a mess after a whole day of playing with Bowie.</p><p>“I’m tired. He tired me out completely.”</p><p>“And yet, you didn’t want to say goodbye to him,” Dan noted, smiling widely.</p><p>“He’s a good boy,” Phil said, “and who would say goodbye to someone who showers them with affection all the time? I mean, did you see how he looked at me? I was putty in his hands… well, his paws. I’d do anything for him. That kind of unconditional love is addicting.”</p><p>“It is,” Dan agreed, still slowly carding his fingers through Phil’s hair. He wasn’t talking about Bowie though.</p><p>“One day, right?”</p><p>“One day,” Dan agreed.</p><p>They had a lot of one days but surprisingly, they eventually had gotten around to most of their past ones. Do a tour one day. Done. Write a book one day. Done. Move into a bigger place one day. Done. Come out one day. Done.</p><p>They would get their dog and their forever home one day too. They weren’t quitters. Not when they had each other both for support and to hold each other accountable.</p><p>“I’m going to miss my little shadow,” Phil muttered into Dan’s leg.</p><p>“I’m not,” Dan said, moving his other hand to rest square on Phil’s chest.</p><p>He did that sometimes when they were in bed too. If he paid close attention, he could feel Phil’s heartbeat, steady and strong. Loving.</p><p>The first time he had done it, it had been an accident, just the two of them cuddled up in Phil’s house and his hand had accidentally landed on Phil’s chest. But Dan had felt the heartbeat all the same. Back then, it had not been calm and steady. It had been beating so fast with nerves of this new thing that none of them were sure how to define yet.</p><p>He could still make Phil’s heartbeat fast, he knew that, but he found a quiet comfort in the fact that it was just steady next to him most of the time. Steady love and easy companionship.</p><p>He had never thought he’d ever find that before he found Phil.</p><p>“Well, he wasn’t <em>your</em> shadow,” Phil muttered. “He was mine.”</p><p>“Well, I have my own shadow too.”</p><p>“Huh? What?”</p><p>“You,” Dan said and leaned down to kiss Phil’s right on the forehead where he had been pushing his hair back. Phil’s expression was dumbfounded, mouth opening just so slightly and Dan felt the beat of Phil’s heart tick faster under his palm.</p><p>“I’m not a dog, Dan,” Phil argued, scrunching up his nose. He didn’t sound offended, but mostly just caught off guard. There was a shine in the corner of his eyes that let Dan know just how amused he was by the comparison.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Dan asked, moving his hand to poke Phil in the ribs. Phil jolted, but instead of getting away from Dan’s treacherous hands, he just curled closer. He was always just curling closer.</p><p>Dan would never tire of it.</p><p>“I’m pretty sure I’m not a dog,” Phil said.</p><p>“Sure about that?” Dan asked and it was a cheap shot but he dragged his nails down Phil’s scalp and watched him hum contentedly and close his eyes. “So, you’re not a good boy?”</p><p>“Don’t! You are not allowed to make dogs weird for me! I will literally kill you,” Phil said and this time he moved.</p><p>He moved to wrestle Dan and caught both of his hands with ease. Dan fought back, just as playfully and within a minute, both of them tumbled off the sofa and just narrowly missed knocking into the coffee table.</p><p>They were both laughing, gasping for air, arms and legs tangled on the floor.</p><p>“You’re the one who made it weird,” Dan argued.</p><p>“No, you were.”</p><p>“It was a joke,” Dan said, even though Phil already knew that. “Actually, I had a whole very wholesome reminisce of the moments that you’ve acted like an excitable and affectionate dog around me, you know?”</p><p>“I do not do that,” Phil insisted, but it was weak.</p><p>“You do,” Dan insisted, tone much stronger. “But that’s okay, because I happen to really like dogs.”</p><p>They had made no move to move away from where they had fallen on the floor, limbs tangled and intertwined in the best way. Frankly, Phil wasn’t the only one that was very content to be in Dan’s space. Dan felt exactly the same way. He loved to be next to Phil and he would gladly follow him around all the time too.</p><p>But in reality, it was never that one of them was standing in the other’s shadow. They were always standing in the spotlight, side by side.</p><p>“You’re an idiot,” Phil muttered.</p><p>“You’re a dog,” Dan said.</p><p>“Horndog!” Phil exclaimed, and the shift was so quick that Dan almost got whiplash. Even so, he loved that Phil’s brain did that, always keeping him on his toes.</p><p>It helped even more when Phil moved down to catch his lips. Despite his exclamation and the connotations of that word, the kiss was gentle and entirely seeped in soft affection. Dan melted under it, like he always did.</p><p>Dan had always used his words a lot. He couldn’t always get them to come out right at first, but he would continue, go over it again and again, write and rewrite until they could capture exactly what he meant.</p><p>Phil had always been different. He told his affection with a lot of unspoken stuff instead, whether it was a touch, showing consideration or merely giving Dan his time.</p><p>All of his time.</p><p>They had that one in common. They loved to spend time together and somehow, through the over a decade that they had been together, it had never really faded. It had just shifted and settled into place in both of their hearts.</p><p>“I love you,” Dan said because he liked saying the words out loud.</p><p>He liked the flush on Phil’s cheeks and the way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled at Dan.</p><p>He liked that Phil just dove in to press another kiss to his lips, not saying it outright, but saying it so clearly anyway.</p><p>They showered each other in affection that late afternoon.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="https://secretlywritingstories.tumblr.com/post/617389002048323584/attention-wins-your-affections-and-oh-how-i-love">Reblog on tumblr</a>
</p><p>I don't think I will ever tire of those random sparks of inspirations that just demand to be written. Thankfully, this was a shorter idea and one I could actually turn out in just a day. I love dogs so much. They are the best. I hope Dan and Phil really get to experience the joy of having one. If how they treat Norman is any indication, then they would be awesome dog parents.</p><p>Thank you for reading and do let me know if you liked it. I adore comments.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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